Understanding the determinants of effective policy instruments: case studies of climate change adaptation in Québec, Atlantic Canada and Massachusetts

Climate adaptation policies have been effective in many cases, resulting in resilient solutions that address multiple objectives. The Québec Observatory for Adaptation to Climate Change (OQACC), the Ouranos consortium on climate change, CBCL in Atlantic Canada, the University of Massachusetts Amherst and the University of Massachusetts Boston have all been involved in recent years in identifying, observing and designing adaptation processes in their own jurisdictions. However, there is still a limited understanding of the factors that lead to the success or failure of such policies.

Identifying these factors is necessary to ensure that policies implemented in various sectors and at various jurisdictional levels achieve their intended outcomes. The aforementioned organizations are working together to develop a unified framework in order to draw relevant lessons by comparing real cases in various countries and sites.

To provide policy-makers with examples and lessons learned from the application of policy instruments in Québec, Atlantic Canada and Massachusetts, by investigating the factors and characteristics of policy instruments that enable or impede adaptation.

• The project team will develop the case studies through a comparative approach to understand how policy mechanisms affect actors’ behaviours and practices within their social-environmental systems.

• The case studies will focus on coastal areas because of their current and increasing exposure to the effects of climate change.

• The team will conduct a literature review, individual semi-structured interviews and group discussions.

• It will develop and validate narratives with the persons involved in the case studies.

The project will provide understanding about:

• Individual and contextual factors and policy instrument characteristics that enable or hinder adaptation;

• The use of information and knowledge that can contribute to the effective implementation of adaptation strategies and measures;

• The role of stakeholder engagement in the successful implementation of policies;

• The most relevant indicators that policy-makers should consider when assessing progress in their adaptation strategies

Results will be disseminated by means of presentations in the organizations participating in the case studies, two-page narratives from each case study, a synthesis report from all case studies, webinars with Canada’s climate change adaptation platform and two scientific articles.

Ce projet est financé par le gouvernement du Québec et répond aux objectifs du Plan pour une économie verte 2030.

• Université du Massachussets à Amherst

• Université du Massachussets à Boston

• CBCL Limited